Sex and the City – without the sex, or the city

Disclaimer: I originally posted this a few weeks ago. However, I was finally able to sketch Carry Bradshaw and Charlotte Goldenblatt wearing backpacks and their manager made me choose between reposting or providing free breast implants for the Sex in the City cast. I swore to only use my surgical powers for good, so I couldn’t in good conscience perform the breast augmentations. Besides, the last time I practiced cosmetic surgery was during my surgical residency, back when our battle against smartphones for global domination was still undecided. Anyway, I just included quite a few new words, and a sketch that I’m fairly pleased with, so I’m not really breaching blogger etiquette, (if I am please feel free to let me know… I’m still learning here).

Disclaimer disclaimer: The part about the manager is not true at all. I borrowed a picture from Wales Online to use as inspiration.

The past few weeks have been mostly about getting ready for the hike. Making sure my shirts match the hue of my pack, and scuffing up my trekking poles and hiking shoes enough that even the casual observer will recognize me as a hiker that means business.

Writing about this experience has always been a big part of the process, and I’m equally excited about the opportunity to share it with you all. But what am I going to write about? Sure, there will be lots of amazing sketches, probably some funny stories about bad weather, weird people, and poignant observations about life. But I feel like I should at least start with a plan to write about something, and for a good reason.

This is a story about me trying to sort out the tangled mess I’ve made of my life, (or at least find peace with it) while taking a long, long (long) walk in the outside. Its also about trying to figure out how to fit in with the people around me again. I don’t expect my post after climbing Mt Katahdin (the last mountain and symbolic end-point for the Appalachian trail) to conclude with “And I lived happily ever after,” but I really hope that there is a sense of optimism about a promising new beginning.

So, I’m hunkered down in dad’s storage room – my bedroom, cave, and sanctuary for those months I spend in the states – searching for some unifying theme. Something that will help me, and you my ideal reader, to follow along and hopefully have a little fun along the way.

Television and movies are usually very helpful and while I don’t have a TV, I do have an account with HBO on my computer. I’ve already sucked the marrow out of the good shows like Games of Thrones, Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Newsroom and the Wire (yup, I’ve had PLENTY of quality time to prepare for this experience).

On a whim, I checked out Sex and the City. Within a few moments, I was mesmerized. This is exactly what I’m hoping for! Here is a worldly, single New York woman writing about her experiments to find happiness and love in her world. I could feel her restlessness lurking just beneath the forced dinner-party smiles and casual morning-after goodbyes. Sure, I’m not single, or a New Yorker, or a successful writer, or even a woman. But the rest – nailed it.

It looks like I’ll have to watch the last 20 minutes of this episode, along with the 70+ others that follow it, in order to find out if Carrie Bradshaw finds happiness and love, or comes to peace with whatever she does find. I’ve certainly got the time, and I’m rooting for her in a way that makes me question my masculinity a little bit, but maybe I don’t want to know too much about her journey. I may be tempted to follow too closely in her footsteps. Except for the sex. Or the cities. Besides, I understand that the Appalachian Trail already has over 5,000,000 steps for me to follow.

Thanks love! I’ll readily admit that going back to the states for a 6 month hike is an unusual way of showing you how committed I am to being a good househusband. (Some misguided people might even call this a vacation from doing dishes.) However, I do know that I’m a pretty lucky guy to have such an understanding and patient wife.